survival for single parents, official or de facto?

[Bekka]

I haven't posted over here in a long, long time, but I have a question for moms or dads who are responsible for all the care of a child in a 24 hour period:

What do you do to make it through until bedtime? We don't co-sleep at this point, but whether we did or not, I know that I'd be a screaming lunatic by bedtime many nights. We were doing really, really well this evening, had a picnic dinner with dad on campus, so I had one hour that I wasn't alone, and my kids were attacking dh with all their energy, and then we came home and played outside, and I started bedtime procedures EARLY and by songtime had one child meltdown to the point that it was 30 min. before we could address her issues! Meanwhile dd #2 went from a slightly tired, mostly reasonable child to her own meltdown as dd #1 finished hers up. When we get to this point I'm ready to CHECKOUT so fast, and dh who is wonderful and IS there to rely on mentally and emotionally much of the time just isn't this month. And he's not HERE, to help with these issues. I could do it so much better if he were up and out early am, followed by home before bedtime and he were just here to finish bedtime!

Survival tips are desperately needed. This is a long stretch of almost-single parenting ahead for me, and I don't think I can do it ...

[Moon]

You'd be surprised by what you can do when you don't have any choice.

I made two decisions. One, to let my standards fall in places that weren't crucial, and two, to plaster a smile on my face, and *will* myself to enjoy this time, because once I did that, and decided I are going to do it, it became true.

Also, I have a 9 year old, and I know the truth of the maxim, "The days are long but the years are short." I'm enjoying this baby so much more because.....uh........well, I know what happens when they start to talk. :

It isn't easy.

At least you have an end in sight.